Expression and feed control for piano-players, &amp;c.



RPBFBAKCROPT. EXPRESSION AND FEED CONTROL FOB PIANO PLAYERS, 62c.

APPLICATION mum JULYSI. 1906. a a I Patented Sept. 22, 1908.

@9991 fswilz R. P. BAEEBQFT. V EXPRESSION AND FEED SQHTEQEEDB PIANO PLAYERS, (is. I APPLIGATIOX FILED" 115L131, 1906. I 399,094, Patented Sept. 22, 1908.

. 2 SHEETS-485111 2.

v sheet.

' ROY F. BANGROF-T, OF TRO PI CO, CALIFORNIA.

EXPRESSION AND FEED CONTROL FOR Pmuo-Pmmns, etc.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7 Appliczitie n filed July a1, was. sworn. 823,628.

Patented Sept.'22, i908.

To all. whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROY F. BANCROFT, a citizen of the United States, residing at T ropico, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Expression and Feed Control for Piano-Playem, &c., of which the following is a s )ccilication.

(l)ne object of this invention is to provide for controlling the expression or variation of force in piano players, by means acting automatically um er the control of the music n piano players itis usual to provide a manually o erated expression lever, by manipulation o a hich the person operating the instrument can vary the force of playing at will. Marks are also sometimes arranged on the controlling sheet to indicate the proper force for )laying during the' rogress of the piece. lerfect rendering o the piece would require that the eison follow exactly thc-directionsas given y the marks. My invention provides for such perfec rendering of the music without depending on peisonal'attention.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide for automatic control by the music sheet, of the speed at which the sheet is moved, and thereby of the speed or tom )0 of different parts of the piece. Means. or manual control of the speed and 'for indicat ing to the operator the proper rate of speed are now provided in some cases, and my invention provides for effecting such variation of speed without personal attention.

Another object of the invention is to aid or accentuate the ex ression control by the cooperative action oi the speed control, as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of a piano player showing in dotted lincs the general location and arrangement of my controlling devices. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line :r-"xin Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation, somewhat diagmmmatic, of the controlling devices. Fig. 4 is a plan of a fragment of the control line: shcct.

. efcrriiig to Fig. l and Fig. 2 the piano player is assumed to comprise the usual clomcnts including the case 1, pedals 2, tiackcr board 3, he i -olls 4 and driving mechanism therefor, operated by the motors 5,supplicd through pipe 6 from the reservoir 7.

8 designates! the action or key vpncumatics which arc connected to tubes 9, leading to the perforations 10 in the trackerboard, said key pneumatics being connected by the ipa 11, with the reservoir 7, said pipe inclu 'ng a. valve 12 to regulate thepassage of air from the reservoir to the key pncumatics, or in case a suction pipe is used to regulate the suction of air from the key pneumatics.

The' invention is assumed to be applied in connection with the suction system and will be. so described herein, but it will be understood that it is equally applicable-to a prcssure system of operation.

The invention comprises means for autm iaticelly controlling the velve'12 to regulate the force of,playing, this action bein subjected to control by the music sheet itself.

For this pur os'e' a pneumatic 13, herein shown s'be' lows pneumatic is operetively connected to valve -32 as by links 1 con meeting a movable member. 35.91- the bellows pneumatic, with the spindlele of the valve and said pneumatic is connected to a conduit or conduits controlled b theflnngsie sheet. it ispreferable to provi e for gradation of the modil'yme action,so as to given plurality of degrees .0 expression. For this urpose the bellows pneumatic. 13 is provide with a plurality of bellows elements which in'eyibe mounted side by side and separated bywalls 18 mechanically connected to one another 'elding wells 19; of the bellows isand to end walls 15, 20 by The end wall 20 at one en fixed so that on inflation or deflation of an one of the bellows elements the outer we will be moved a certain distance, and on infiction or deflation of a lurality of such elements the said outer wall and the valves 0011- nected thereto will be moved 0. correspondingly greater distance. The several bellows elements arc connected by pipes 21 wlth special perforations 22 in the tracker board 3, each pi c 21 extending into a passage 17 in the walls 20 or 18 which open into the bellows chamber between said well and the next outer wall. The outer end of seidpassage 17 connects by duct 48 and box 49 with a pipe 23 leading to the reservoir 7. 24 desigmates :1 spring for expanding orinilating the bellows. The usual expression lever 25 may also be used, connected by means 26 to a valve 27, to control suction of air from the action. When this manual control is in opcration it is desirable that the automatic control should be thrown oil so that the manual.

and automatic control do not interfere.

valve 12 in link 34 to the outer wall of a hollows pneumatic 35 comprising a plurality of hollows elements similar in eonstruotion to the hellows pneumatic I3, and oonneotod hy tubes 36 to perforations -27 in tho traokor board, and by tubes 37 to reservoir 7. A spring 31 is provided for bellows or valve pneumatio 35.

The speed may-also he controlled by manual means 3%; having connection 3!) to a valve 4-0 for control or the suction from the motor 5, this 3n n .1 control having valve 1 means 41 for disn a the automatic when the manual is ill eentrol and a. spring 42 for 'edgeflbi speed control.

normally moving manual control to inopereti'i'e'pesition saving'the automatic in control. ihe'expresion and speed control inelosed in hoxc-s 50 and 51.

ie sheet -33. see Fig. 4, has in addition to the note nerl'orations 4-1, othor porforetie'nslfi, tor a niple, near one edge, tor 'oontroii ig expre .-:n, aiuladditional porfermions which inav be near vthe outer No spood or expression marks are needed on the shoot, the .'spood and expression aro determined automatioaily and without attention of the operjalor. Tl'hesots of holes 45 are, in case a 4e prolonged notion is required, each preferably 45" foralion two TUTS'S extending n mrallol 29S sling: the music oontro l shoot, holes overlapping so as to mainon i231 the trae-kor hoard poi noh widened or split to oxtond under hath revs holes.) lly this means the isnhtainrd of a single loop hole with-nit unduly iT-illitlllllg the shoot. A similar provision is made on the speed conl trolling holes;

SE-thomhpto more the shootforwan a medium speeds The operation is as follows:-The music sheet hung in pine-o and pedals being operated, a eondili n mi sin-lion is produced in the reservoir 7 and the motor 9 is o )erated l. The

speed eontrell ilos -56 in the shoot will he 1 arranged to nornmlly admit sullioionl- :\l|'-l0 the vaivo pneunr 35 to lu'in; the valve 32 team intermedia 3 :sition oorrosponding to tho feeding moans. At parts where a slot: movement is required, those holoswil. lie diminished to out oll' air from the pneumatic whirh will oollapso on accountof the continual suction of air thoro- 651mm to the reservoir, and the atmosphorio orating means for the pr connected. thereto, a motor pressure on the outside. Yslve 32 is thus drawn over co-position to allow less air to pass through it thus dooreasing the speed of the pneumatic driving means and slowing up the sheet. \Yhenthere are no holes 46 pass- 7 mg over the tracker board, the valve 32 will occupy the position for slowest speed. For faster movement the holes 46 are increased and the pneumatic 35 thereby inllated, the spring 31 drawing the valve 32 over to allow 7 more air to be drawn through the pneumatic driving mechanism thereby increasing the speed. Similarly the holes 45 mntrolling expression will be increased or diminishedat different parts of thesheet according to. the 2 force of action roquired'at such parts. I have found that when a sharp aceentuation of a particular note is desired that it may be secured by providing at that part of the music'shoet, holes on all the expression rows or lines, and closing oil or leaving blank the corresponding part of the sheet at the tempo side, so as to give a dwell on the note and insuring that the full suction will he developed on the action both by the full spring of the expression valve and by eiinnnating the waste of suction that normally occurs on driving the motor.

While the invention is above described as applied to the piano player, it obvious that it is equally applicable in connection with any automatic musical instrument operating under the control of the nnBiesheet; for example, solf playing pianos, organs, or other musical instruments.

What.- i claim is:

1. A-piano player comprisizg, in combination with the tracker hoard and the action connected thereto, valve niziils -controlling the force of the action and a pneumatic controlling uwans for said valve ans co1nprising a plurality of elements or: rative individnull and c-onjointly on said valve means to produce variant movements thereof, a pluralit) of pneumatic connections from the respective pn umatic elements to the tracker board, and a manual valve for controlling the force of the action, said n on! valve being provided with means for e. olin the op- :lilCi ly con trolled valve, when the rnennal valve is in operative position.

2. A piano player comp? z, in combination with the tracker hoard Lisa the notion for the music shoot, speed control means ing a valve and a. pnem means for said valve consi of elements operative indlv jointly on said valve to movements thereof, a pin of meumatie connections from the tracker bear to the respoctive pneumatic elements of the speed ooutrolling means, and a manual valve for c ntrolling the speed of the motor, said mani I i l i l t l '1 ual valve being provided with means for disabllng the operating means for the pneumatreally controlled valve, when the manual .valve is in operative position.

3. A piano player comprising, in combinatron with the tracker board and the action connected thereto, valve means controlling the force of the action and a pneumatic. controlling means for said valve means comprisin a1 lurality of elements 0 erative individuall; and conjointly on said valve means to produce variant movements thereof, a

connected thereto, a motor for the music sheet, speed control means therefor com rismg a valve and a pneumatic controhng means for said valve consisting of a plurality of elements operative inr'lividually'and conjointly on said valve to produce variant movements thereof, a plurality of pneumatic connections from the tracker board to the respective pneumatic elennnts of the speed controlling means, and a manual valve for controlling; the speed of the motor, said manual valve being provided with means for cuttin olf communication through the said contro ling pneumatic forthe pneumaticall y cont-rolled valve, when the manual valve is in operative position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles Cal. this 24th day of July 1906.

ROY F. BANCROFT. In presence of- ARTHUR P. Kmonr,

FRANK L. A. GRMIAM. 

